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Congressional Newsletters

RAND Congressional newsletters and alerts highlight our research on the most relevant issues in the public policy debate. See the most recent issues below.

Military Families

Enhancing Family Stability During PCS Moves

Nov 30, 2018

About one-third of service members experience a permanent change of station (PCS) move every year. These moves are a stressor for military families and are associated with disruptions to family stability.
China

The Dawn of China’s Belt and Road Initiative

Nov 8, 2018

As China continues to build relationships with the developing world through the Belt and Road Initiative, U.S. policymakers will be challenged with determining whether and how to encourage China to act as a cooperative partner.
Tobacco and Smoking

The Impact of E-Cigarettes on Youth

Nov 1, 2018

Teenage usage of e-cigarettes has been the target of recent government scrutiny, including a September declaration by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that usage of e-cigarettes by youth has reached “epidemic” levels.
Africa

Reforming Security Assistance for Africa

Oct 25, 2018

Recent RAND analysis of U.S. security sector assistance (SSA) to Africa shows a mixed record. For most of the past quarter-century, SSA has been highly inefficient, achieving no aggregate reduction in insurgencies or terrorism in the countries that received the assistance.
Terrorism Financing

In Case You Missed It: Current Trends in Terrorism and Illicit Finance

Oct 10, 2018

Terrorist organizations rely on funding in order to operate and achieve their objectives. It is important to keep these organizations from acquiring funds, and there are ways the United States and its partners can combat terrorist financing.
Opioids

In Case You Missed It: Evolution of the U.S. Overdose Crisis

Sep 21, 2018

RAND's Bryce Pardo discusses China's role in the production and supply of synthetic opioids and outlines some actions lawmakers can take to reduce this problem beyond traditional drug policy tools.
United States Air Force

Is the U.S. Air Force Flying Force Large Enough?

Sep 20, 2018

By using historical evidence to estimate demands on the U.S. Air Force flying force in four possible futures, new RAND research sheds light on potential future force requirements. RAND researchers found that the current force experiences capacity shortfalls in all four scenarios and that no class of aircraft performs well across all scenarios.
Military Force Planning

Improving Force Development Within the Department of Defense

Aug 31, 2018

In wargames depicting future hypothetical conflicts against the nation’s most capable adversaries, programmed U.S. forces repeatedly have failed to achieve their primary operational objectives and have suffered heavy losses in doing so. What can the Defense Department and Congress do to ensure the military is capable of succeeding in potential future conflicts?
United States

A Summer Reading List for Congress

Aug 23, 2018

RAND provides essential reading for hill staffers during the 2018 summer recess. Some of the big issues Congress will be wrestling with include gun policy, infrastructure, and health care.
Health Care Costs

What are the effects of eliminating the individual mandate penalty?

Aug 16, 2018

Starting in 2019, the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate penalty will be eliminated. According to a new study, 3 million to 13 million fewer people would have health insurance by 2020 and most premiums for individual market plans would increase by 3 to 13 percent, depending on which assumptions are in play.
Homeland Security Legislation

Catch Up Quick: Homeland Security Issues for Congress

Aug 14, 2018

Catch up on the homeland security issues facing Congress, including cybersecurity, the Coast Guard and United States border, and countering violent extremism.
Nuclear Weapons and Warfare

In Case You Missed It: Russian Nuclear Forces and Prospects for Arms Control

Aug 2, 2018

RAND's Austin Long discusses Russia's newest nuclear delivery systems and the current barriers to reaching an arms control negotiation.